Violence In Residential Schools

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The Oxford Dictionary defines Residential Schools as, “a government supported boarding school for children from American Indian and Inuit communities.” On the other hand, if an elder from one of these communities was asked to about Residential schools, an entirely different definition would have been supplied. The nature of these schools was first sought out to be a way of “civilizing” the Native inhabitants, but instead traumatized the attendees of these so called schools. It is only with the last few years, that more and more survivors have found the courage to come forward and tell their stories of what happened at these schools. Even with the closure of these facilities, the backlash generated by this “secondary colonization attempt” …show more content…
In particular, alcoholism and violence are some of the effects that unfortunately act as a transition in their lives, as they find it to be a way of expressing their emotions or escaping reality. “Most ‘Wounded Bears’ need assistance in gaining insight into their violent behavior and in exploring alternative forms of expression.” (Eagleheart, pg.2) The violence that the adults experienced in their childhood becomes a form of expression in regards to their emotions as that is the only way they know how to deal with the pain they are feeling. Furthermore, this violence they inflict on their children can also be linked to alcoholism, as they are not in the right mind-state to make proper decisions. “There’s relief after a few big, hard swallows.” (Indian Horse, pg.189) “In addition, higher levels of alcohol use have been found among Indian… youth who attend boarding schools.”(Beauvais, pg.2) To conclude with, the effects of the Residential Schools, which led to individuals seeking out alternative means of support, led to the many forms of systemic racism that are seen in today’s society. As seen with the issue of alcoholism, in regards to coping with the effects of the schools, the stereotype that Aboriginal People have alcohol issues became a dominant stereotype seen by …show more content…
To clarify, it is only with the increase in the number of Residential School survivors coming forward about their experiences that more and more people are slowly becoming more aware of the events that occurred at the facilities. For example, one of the more famous people that talks about the effects of Residential Schools is Maria Campbell. (Vansickle, Lecture 23) These brave individuals are trying to bring awareness to the issue that remains anonymous to most. If more and more individuals come forward, public speeches can be organized for many schools in which the topics are generated in respect to the student’s age. In this way, the issue of Residential Schools can be addressed in a manner for which the healing process can be catalyzed. In continuation, the education of the younger generation about Residential Schools is key to fully achieving reconciliation with the Aboriginal People. One of the important manuscripts that the government commissioned was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (Truth and Reconciliation). This commission outlines how the ways in which the government can help to speed up the healing process of those affected by the Residential Schools either directly or
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